LaunchPath

Flagship channel-state reference guide

Start Facebook Marketplace in Virginia: full reference guide

Use this page when you want the complete dense version: all sections, all appendices, and the full official source directory in one scrollable reference surface.

Last verified: April 26, 2026 Reference mode Dense appendix

Built from reviewed public pages for Virginia, IRS, FinCEN, Richmond, Facebook Marketplace. Use it as a first-pass guide, then verify the official links that match your setup.

How to use this page

Dense appendix modeFull source directory attachedLast verified April 26, 2026

This version favors completeness over pacing. Use it when you need the appendix, the dense source trail, or the full long-form reference in one place.

Best reading order

  1. Use the fast-answer and official-links sections first if you only need the main route and source trail.
  2. Open the entity, setup, tax, and local sections only where your exact launch path actually branches.
  3. Use the full source directory last as the appendix, not the starting point, unless you already know the exact agency task.
Fast answer appendix Official links first Full source directory
Back to the guided journey

Reference mode

Everything in one dense page

The guided journey is the easier starting point. This page keeps the full accordion guide and source appendix when you want the complete research-backed reference view.

Best when you need

  • The full section map in one scroll without the lighter journey framing.
  • The appendix and official-source directory preserved next to the answer sections.
  • A clearer audit trail before you print, compare, or cross-check another route.

Still better handled in the journey

  • First-pass reading when you want the shortest, safest beginner route.
  • Deciding what to do first before you need the full appendix.
  • Switching states or platforms quickly without reading the full dense version.
Reference map
Start here Fast answer If you want to open Facebook Marketplace in Virginia, you usually need to do five things in order: Everyone 5 steps

If you want to open Facebook Marketplace in Virginia, you usually need to do five things in order:

  1. Choose your setup: sole proprietorship vs single-member LLC.
  2. Decide whether you are really doing local meetup/direct sale, shipped checkout through Meta if eligible, or later off-Facebook direct sales, because the Virginia tax answer changes across those paths.
  3. Handle your Virginia name-filing and tax branch before launch, especially the marketplace-only vs dealer registration vs ST-10 split.
  4. Verify local permit, zoning, and city-tax rules, especially if you will operate in Richmond.
  5. Confirm that your Facebook account can actually use Marketplace, and only build around shipping or business-mode tools if your real account has them.

Practical first-launch recommendation

If you are casually selling a few low-risk items and want the lightest setup, sole proprietor can work.

If you intend to build a real resale business in Virginia, single-member LLC is usually the better long-term path.

Important platform note:

Public Meta help says Marketplace is available for adults with active Facebook accounts, must be used from the main profile rather than an additional profile, and is intended for consumers. The same help pages say businesses that list on Marketplace may be blocked and or have their listings removed. Treat that as real platform risk when deciding how much inventory and filing cost to commit on day one.

Avoid these first-launch mistakes

  • Treating a local pickup Facebook sale as if it were automatically a marketplace-facilitator tax sale.
  • Assuming ST-10 is safe before you actually have the registered-dealer branch in place.
  • Adding off-Facebook or direct local sales without re-running the Virginia registration analysis.

Virginia-specific friction

Virginia is cleaner than New York for a true marketplace-only shipped-checkout tax path, but ordinary local Marketplace deals still push you into the direct-sale lane.

  • Virginia is cleaner than New York for a true marketplace-only shipped-checkout tax path, but ordinary local Marketplace deals still push you into the direct-sale lane.
  • The ST-10 resale path is not automatic. It follows the registered-dealer branch.
  • Virginia uses centralized SCC fictitious-name filings instead of a county-only DBA model.
  • Richmond adds real local work with BPOL, CZC, and home-occupation limits.

Facebook Marketplace-specific friction

Public Meta help says Marketplace is intended for consumers, and business listings may be blocked.

  • Public Meta help says Marketplace is intended for consumers, and business listings may be blocked.
  • Shipping and checkout are not available to all users.
  • Some business-facing Marketplace features are available only to select or certain sellers.
  • The public fee and seller-protection rules mainly speak to onsite checkout, not to ordinary local cash or person-to-person deals.

Insurance reality

If you are selling physical goods, commercial general liability and product-liability coverage may still be sensible even for a small operator.

  • If you are selling physical goods, commercial general liability and product-liability coverage may still be sensible even for a small operator.
  • No public universal Facebook Marketplace liability-insurance threshold was identified in the Meta pages reviewed on April 26, 2026.
  • Shipping carriers, landlords, storage providers, or local event venues may still impose their own insurance requirements.
Back to top Next: Quick-start checklist
Checklist Quick-start checklist Use the research-backed checklist groups before you spend, before your first sale, and before launch goes live. Everyone 3 groups

Do these before you spend money

  • Pick your entity.
  • Pick your business name.
  • Decide whether you are starting with local pickup, local delivery, or shipping with checkout if your account is eligible.
  • Stay with low-risk physical goods you can inspect, photograph, and hand off or ship yourself.
  • Avoid prohibited or beginner-hostile items like services, animals, healthcare products, recalled products, alcohol, supplements, and obvious counterfeit-risk goods.
  • Make sure you can document sourcing and item condition.

Do these before your first sale

  • Form the business or file the Virginia fictitious-name branch if needed.
  • Get an EIN from the IRS if applicable.
  • Open a dedicated business bank account.
  • Resolve whether your actual Virginia fact pattern is a marketplace-only shipped-checkout branch or a direct-sale branch.
  • If you want tax-free inventory purchasing, handle the registered-dealer and ST-10 branch before you assume you have it.
  • Check local permits and home-business rules, especially the Richmond BPOL, CZC, and home-occupation branch if you will operate there.
  • Confirm your Facebook account can access Marketplace, and if you want shipping, confirm that seller verification, tax info, and payout setup are actually available to your account.

Do these before launch goes live

  • Build one low-risk listing first.
  • Choose either a safe meetup workflow or a shipping workflow you can actually support.
  • Keep local pickup and off-Facebook direct sales separate from any marketplace-only tax assumptions.
  • Re-check the current Meta help and legal pages for fees, chargebacks, and shipping rules before you price inventory.
Back to top Next: Official links you will use first
Choose your setup Entity choice Compare the sole-proprietor and single-member LLC paths before banking, tax setup, and platform onboarding. Everyone 2 options

Sole proprietor

Best for: Best if you want the cheapest and simplest start.

What it means

  • If you operate under your own personal legal name, Virginia does not require a separate SCC entity-formation filing just to be a sole proprietor.
  • If you use a business name different from your legal name, Virginia routes that branch to a fictitious-name filing with the SCC Clerk's Office.
  • Business income generally runs through your personal tax return unless you later change tax treatment.
  • You do not get a liability shield.

Why someone chooses it

  • Faster launch
  • Lower up-front filing costs
  • Fewer entity-maintenance steps

Main downside: Personal liability

single-member LLC

Best for: Best if you want a more durable setup for a real resale business.

What it means

  • You form the LLC by filing Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (LLC1011) with the SCC.
  • The baseline filing fee is $100.
  • Virginia LLCs pay a recurring $50 annual registration fee instead of a generic annual report.
  • If your public-facing name differs from the LLC legal name, the fictitious-name filing is separate.

Why someone chooses it

  • Liability protection
  • Cleaner setup for banking, bookkeeping, and repeat inventory buying
  • Better fit for recurring sales, hiring, and later channel expansion

Main downside: Higher setup friction and cost than a sole proprietorship

Back to top Next: What to do in order
Main path What to do in order The full end-to-end setup path, kept in the same order as the researched guide. Everyone 15 steps

  1. Step 1: Choose a low-risk launch model

    Main guide step 1

    For a first launch, stay inside the safest lane:

    Why it matters: Meta-specific warning: Practical rule: If the item touches health, safety, children, regulated chemicals, heavy IP risk, or specialized compliance, slow down and do separate product research before buying inventory.

    • ordinary physical general merchandise
    • truthful condition descriptions
    • one or two low-risk listings first
    • no high-risk categories from food, supplements, cosmetics, medical claims, batteries-heavy hazmat, alcohol, children's products
    • Marketplace listings must comply with Meta's Commerce Policies and Community Standards.
    • Meta's current public Marketplace help says no services, no animals, no healthcare products, and no recalled products.

  2. Step 2: Choose your name and brand approach

    Main guide step 2

    You need to decide whether you are:

    Why it matters: Important:

    • operating under your own legal name,
    • using a Virginia fictitious name,
    • selling casually through your existing profile,
    • using a more formal business backend behind the listings,
    • or trying to use any business account features only if Meta actually makes them available
    • Your Facebook profile or seller display name does not replace your Virginia legal-entity or fictitious-name setup.
    • Meta's public help shows that some business on Marketplace features are only available to select or certain sellers, so do not build your launch plan around those features unless your own account has them.

  3. Step 3: Form the business

    Main guide step 3

    If you choose sole proprietor: If you use only your own legal name, there is generally no separate Virginia SCC entity filing.

    • If you choose sole proprietor: If you use only your own legal name, there is generally no separate Virginia SCC entity filing.
    • If you choose sole proprietor: If you use a trade name, file the Virginia fictitious-name branch with the SCC Clerk's Office.
    • If you choose sole proprietor: This does not replace Virginia tax registration, local permits, or Marketplace follow-up.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Do this in order:
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Run a preliminary Virginia name check and make sure the LLC name is distinguishable.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: File Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (LLC1011).
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Create the internal operating agreement and recordkeeping setup even though this combo did not identify a separate Virginia filing requirement for that document.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: File the Virginia fictitious-name branch as well if your public-facing business name will differ from the LLC legal name.

  4. Step 4: Get your EIN

    Main guide step 4

    Use the IRS EIN application if applicable. Most LLCs need one. For many sole proprietors it is optional, but it is still useful for banking, tax registration, and keeping Marketplace records cleaner.

  5. Step 5: Open banking and bookkeeping

    Main guide step 5

    Do this right away:

    • Open a business checking account.
    • Use one account and one card for business only.
    • Save every invoice, shipping receipt, payment-platform record, refund record, and tax record.
    • Track each sale by transaction type: local pickup, local delivery, shipped checkout, or off-Facebook direct sale.

  6. Step 6: Resolve the Virginia marketplace-only, direct-sale, and resale branch before you act

    Main guide step 6

    This is the most important Virginia decision point in this pack.

    Why it matters: What Virginia officially says: Safe practical reading for Facebook Marketplace: Practical beginner takeaway:

    • Virginia Tax says that if all of your sales in Virginia are conducted through a marketplace facilitator's platform, you are considered a marketplace seller and generally do not need to register to collect Virginia sales tax.
    • Virginia Tax separately says in-state retailers are generally individuals and businesses making sales with, or at, one or more physical locations in Virginia.
    • Meta's public Marketplace help distinguishes local person-to-person deals from shipping and checkout orders where buyers pay securely on Facebook and the seller ships to the buyer.
    • If you are using Facebook Marketplace for local meetup, local pickup, local delivery, cash, or other direct-payment flows, that does not cleanly fit the marketplace-facilitator collection branch. Treat that as the direct-sale branch.
    • If your account is eligible for shipping and checkout and Meta is collecting payment and transmitting payout, that looks much closer to the marketplace-facilitator branch.
    • If you later add off-Facebook invoice sales, website sales, or repeat direct pickup sales, that is a separate direct-sale branch again.
    • If you plan to do regular local pickup, door dropoff, cash, card, Venmo, or other direct-payment sales, treat the startup path as a direct-sale branch and handle Virginia registration early.
    • If you are truly trying to stay inside Meta-managed shipping and checkout only, Virginia is cleaner than New York and supports a more usable marketplace-only no-registration-to-collect path, but that still depends on actual feature availability and keeping the rest of your facts clean.

  7. Step 7: Handle the ST-10 resale branch separately

    Main guide step 7

    If you want to buy inventory tax free for resale:

    Why it matters: Practical rule:

    • Virginia Business One Stop says that to use a Virginia resale certificate, you generally must also be registered to collect Virginia sales tax from buyers in the state.
    • Form ST-10 itself is written for use by a Virginia dealer buying for resale, lease, rental, or qualifying packaging use.
    • Do not assume that being on Facebook Marketplace alone gives you resale authority.
    • If you want regular wholesale or tax-free inventory purchasing, handle the Virginia dealer-registration path first.

  8. Step 8: Check local permits, city rules, and home-business limits

    Main guide step 8

    Virginia does not use one statewide local-business form for every county or city.

    Why it matters: Do this before operating: Richmond branch: Practical warning: If you plan to store, package, photograph, or ship inventory from a Richmond home address, confirm the exact address-specific zoning answer before launch.

    • check the county or city where you will actually operate,
    • ask about home occupation, inventory storage, customer traffic, and carrier activity,
    • and do not assume Richmond rules apply unless the address is actually in Richmond
    • The city's BPOL page says owners of businesses in Richmond are required to obtain a Richmond business license annually.
    • New businesses must obtain a license within 30 days of the date of opening.
    • In most cases, the city says a business license is required before the business begins conducting business.
    • Richmond Zoning Administration routes residential home-occupation licensing requests through the Online Permit Portal for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance.
    • The current public zoning-fee notice, effective July 1, 2024, shows a Home occupation CZC filing fee of $50.00.
    • Richmond's current public home-occupation rules say only household members may work on the premises, no outside activity or outside storage is allowed, the business area may not exceed 25% of the enclosed heated floor area or 500 square feet, visits including deliveries are limited, and no product may be offered for sale directly to customers on the premises.

  9. Step 9: If you hire employees, handle payroll registrations and insurance

    Main guide step 9

    If you do not hire anyone yet, skip this for now.

    Why it matters: If you hire:

    • register with Virginia Tax for withholding if you pay wages subject to federal withholding,
    • register with the Virginia Employment Commission to determine unemployment-tax liability,
    • maintain workers' compensation coverage if you regularly employ more than 2 part-time or full-time workers

  10. Step 10: Confirm access to Facebook Marketplace before you build the plan around it

    Main guide step 10

    Have these ready:

    Why it matters: What Meta publicly says:

    • an active main Facebook account
    • age verification ability if requested
    • phone number and email
    • government-issued ID if shipping verification triggers
    • tax information if shipping verification triggers
    • bank or other payout details if your account is eligible for shipping checkout
    • your real legal name and business details if you are using a business backend
    • Marketplace is available in many countries for adults with active Facebook accounts and is available from the Facebook app for Android or iPhone.
    • Meta may restrict access if the account is new or inactive, if you are using an additional profile instead of your main profile, or if you violated platform policies.
    • Marketplace is intended for consumers, and businesses that list may be blocked and or have their listings removed.

  11. Step 11: Build the actual listing path your account supports

    Main guide step 11

    Base listing flow from Meta's public help:

    Why it matters: For local transaction listings: For shipping and checkout listings: Business-mode caveat: Practical rule: Do not promise yourself a structured business dashboard, universal business onboarding, or business-mode switching unless your actual account shows those features.

    • Meta's public responsibility and payment help treats ordinary local Marketplace transactions as deals between the buyer and seller.
    • That is part of why the local branch stays separate in this Virginia pack.
    • Meta's public help says selling with shipping and checkout is not available to all users.
    • Meta's shipping-performance page says this shipping feature is available on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
    • Meta's seller-verification help says acceptable proof-of-identity documents include a passport or passport card, driver's license, or state or government-issued ID, and that the name on the document must match the name registered on the Marketplace profile.
    • Meta's public help on switching between personal and business account on Marketplace says that feature is only available to select sellers right now.
    • Meta's public help on confirming your identity when selling as a business says that feature is only available to certain sellers.
    • Open Marketplace.
    • Create a new listing and choose Item for sale.
    • Add photos or video.
    • Enter the item information.
    • Continue and publish.

  12. Step 12: Understand fees, chargebacks, and payouts before you price anything

    Main guide step 12

    What the current public Meta legal page supports for onsite checkout:

    Why it matters: Payout reality: Tax-form reality: Return reality:

    • Meta says Individual Sellers pay a 5% selling fee per transaction, with a minimum fee of $0.40.
    • Meta says the fee is calculated on the entire amount of the transaction, including the sale price, any shipping fees, and applicable taxes.
    • Meta says a $20 chargeback fee can be deducted if the buyer's card issuer decides in the buyer's favor.
    • Meta says seller protection is currently only available in the U.S. and is limited to items covered by Purchase Protection with a sale price of $2,000 or less.
    • The same public policy layer ties Individual Seller protection to using a Meta-generated shipping label and shipping within the published shipping or handling window.
    • That means you should not treat local pickup, off-platform payment, or self-arranged person-to-person delivery as covered by the same public protection language.
    • Current public Meta help still points to PayPal, bank-account articles, and older payout-help flows around shipping.
    • That means the exact payout rail for your account should be treated as account-specific and re-checked live before you rely on it.
    • Meta's public tax-form help says shipping sales may trigger 1099-K reporting through PayPal and that Meta may send 1099-MISC for certain reimbursements.
    • Meta's public returns help says returns and refunds for local pickup Marketplace purchases are not available from Facebook.
    • Keep that separate from any return, refund, or dispute path that applies to onsite checkout orders.

  13. Step 13: Complete the local or shipped operations branch

    Main guide step 13

    For local meetup or pickup:

    Why it matters: For shipping and checkout if your account is eligible: Meta's public shipping-performance page says: Meta's public seller-policy page adds another important checkout rule:

    • keep communication on Facebook where possible
    • use safe meetup habits
    • verify the item before final payment
    • mark listings as pending, sold, or available correctly
    • ship inside the promised handling window
    • use valid tracking
    • monitor shipping performance
    • cancellation rate should stay below 10%
    • missed handling rate is monitored
    • not meeting the cancellation-rate standard may result in a temporary loss of shipping on Marketplace
    • if an Individual Seller has not fulfilled an order within 3 business days from the date of purchase, the order will be automatically canceled by Meta

  14. Step 14: Confirm category eligibility before scaling

    Main guide step 14

    Before you scale, re-check the actual listing against Meta policy.

    Why it matters: Public Meta Marketplace help says:

    • products listed on Marketplace must comply with Commerce Policies and Community Standards
    • no services
    • no animals
    • no healthcare products
    • no recalled products
    • no listing that is not a real physical product for sale

  15. Step 15: Launch with a compliance-first operating routine

    Main guide step 15

    Once live, keep these habits:

    • separate local direct sales from any Meta checkout sales in your records
    • save invoices and item-condition evidence
    • keep tax reserves separate if you are in a direct-sale branch
    • reconcile fees, payouts, refunds, and chargebacks
    • re-check policy-sensitive listings before you relist or scale

Best practical order for the LLC launch path

  1. Pick the low-risk product lane and decide whether you are starting with local direct sales or a truly provider-collected shipped-checkout-only plan.
  2. File the LLC or fictitious-name paperwork.
  3. Get the EIN.
  4. Open bank and bookkeeping.
  5. Resolve the Virginia marketplace-only vs direct-sale vs ST-10 branch before first inventory.
  6. Check local permits and Richmond rules if applicable.
  7. Complete the actual Facebook Marketplace account-access and feature-eligibility branch before you buy real inventory.
  8. If you plan local direct sales, complete the Virginia dealer-registration branch early.
  9. If you plan true shipped-checkout-only sales, confirm shipping, verification, payout, and records before relying on the cleaner marketplace-only theory.
  10. If you formed an LLC, track the anniversary-month annual fee and the recurring tax and local obligations calendar.
Back to top Next: Virginia tax stack
State filing and tax Virginia tax stack Keep the Virginia registration, tax, and maintenance rules together while you launch. Everyone 8 checks

1. EIN

A typical single-member LLC needs an EIN.

  • A typical single-member LLC needs an EIN.
  • A sole proprietor may not always need one federally, but it is often practical anyway.

2. Virginia sales tax, seller permit, or equivalent registration

Virginia uses online registration as the default path and Form R-1 for paper exceptions.

  • Virginia uses online registration as the default path and Form R-1 for paper exceptions.
  • If you register for retail sales or use tax, Virginia Tax says registration gives you your sales tax certificate and business online-services access.
  • The retail-sales page says Form ST-1 replaced older sales-tax return forms beginning with the April 2025 filing period.

3. Marketplace or platform tax rule

Safe takeaway:

  • Virginia Tax says a marketplace seller whose sales in Virginia are all conducted through a marketplace facilitator's platform generally does not need to register to collect Virginia sales tax.
  • For this combo, only Facebook Marketplace shipping and checkout, if Meta actually collects payment and sends payout, looks close to that clean marketplace-only branch.
  • Local meetup, local pickup, and other direct-payment flows do not look like the facilitator-collected branch.
  • Marketplace-only Meta checkout sales and direct off-platform sales are separate branches.
  • Re-run the Virginia dealer-registration analysis before taking direct taxable sales outside Meta-managed checkout.

4. Local meetup versus shipped-checkout treatment

This is the key Facebook Marketplace state-law split.

  • Local transactions are distinct from checkout orders.
  • Meta's public responsibility and payment pages describe ordinary local Marketplace deals as transactions between the buyer and seller and push them toward cash or person-to-person payment methods.
  • Shipping and checkout are separate features that are not available to all users.
  • Marketplace-only relief turns on all sales being conducted through a marketplace facilitator's platform.
  • Direct sales from a Virginia location remain a separate dealer-registration question.
  • Local meetup and local pickup do not make the item non-taxable. They mainly change the transaction flow.
  • For Facebook Marketplace, local pickup and local meetup should be treated as the more conservative direct-sale branch unless you confirm a different Virginia Tax answer for your exact facts.
  • Shipped checkout is the only branch in this pack that gets close to a true marketplace-only collection theory.

5. Resale purchases or exempt purchasing

Virginia uses Form ST-10 for resale purchases by a Virginia dealer.

  • Virginia uses Form ST-10 for resale purchases by a Virginia dealer.
  • Virginia Business One Stop says that to use a Virginia resale certificate, you generally must also be registered to collect Virginia sales tax from buyers in the state.
  • For this combo, that means ST-10 is not a safe automatic add-on to the marketplace-only no-registration branch.

6. Entity tax treatment

Virginia generally follows federal tax-classification rules for LLCs unless a different election applies.

  • Virginia generally follows federal tax-classification rules for LLCs unless a different election applies.
  • A default single-member LLC is usually treated as disregarded for income-tax purposes.

7. Entity filing-fee or franchise-tax rule

The recurring Virginia LLC maintenance item verified in this combo is the $50 annual registration fee, not a separate generic LLC annual report.

  • The recurring Virginia LLC maintenance item verified in this combo is the $50 annual registration fee, not a separate generic LLC annual report.
  • This is distinct from sales-tax, withholding, or employer filings.

8. If the founder changes entity type later

Do not assume the original Facebook Marketplace setup, tax account, bank setup, or local approvals automatically carry over to a later LLC.

  • Do not assume the original Facebook Marketplace setup, tax account, bank setup, or local approvals automatically carry over to a later LLC.
  • Re-check the Virginia Tax and local-license path if you convert or replace the entity.
Back to top Next: Facebook Marketplace account and operations
Platform setup Facebook Marketplace account and operations Use this section for the Facebook Marketplace-specific account, plan, eligibility, and operations work. Everyone 5 steps

  1. Step 9: If you hire employees, handle payroll registrations and insurance

    Platform step 1

    If you do not hire anyone yet, skip this for now.

    Why it matters: If you hire:

    • register with Virginia Tax for withholding if you pay wages subject to federal withholding,
    • register with the Virginia Employment Commission to determine unemployment-tax liability,
    • maintain workers' compensation coverage if you regularly employ more than 2 part-time or full-time workers

  2. Step 10: Confirm access to Facebook Marketplace before you build the plan around it

    Platform step 2

    Have these ready:

    Why it matters: What Meta publicly says:

    • an active main Facebook account
    • age verification ability if requested
    • phone number and email
    • government-issued ID if shipping verification triggers
    • tax information if shipping verification triggers
    • bank or other payout details if your account is eligible for shipping checkout
    • your real legal name and business details if you are using a business backend
    • Marketplace is available in many countries for adults with active Facebook accounts and is available from the Facebook app for Android or iPhone.
    • Meta may restrict access if the account is new or inactive, if you are using an additional profile instead of your main profile, or if you violated platform policies.
    • Marketplace is intended for consumers, and businesses that list may be blocked and or have their listings removed.

  3. Step 11: Build the actual listing path your account supports

    Platform step 3

    Base listing flow from Meta's public help:

    Why it matters: For local transaction listings: For shipping and checkout listings: Business-mode caveat: Practical rule: Do not promise yourself a structured business dashboard, universal business onboarding, or business-mode switching unless your actual account shows those features.

    • Meta's public responsibility and payment help treats ordinary local Marketplace transactions as deals between the buyer and seller.
    • That is part of why the local branch stays separate in this Virginia pack.
    • Meta's public help says selling with shipping and checkout is not available to all users.
    • Meta's shipping-performance page says this shipping feature is available on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
    • Meta's seller-verification help says acceptable proof-of-identity documents include a passport or passport card, driver's license, or state or government-issued ID, and that the name on the document must match the name registered on the Marketplace profile.
    • Meta's public help on switching between personal and business account on Marketplace says that feature is only available to select sellers right now.
    • Meta's public help on confirming your identity when selling as a business says that feature is only available to certain sellers.
    • Open Marketplace.
    • Create a new listing and choose Item for sale.
    • Add photos or video.
    • Enter the item information.
    • Continue and publish.

  4. Step 12: Understand fees, chargebacks, and payouts before you price anything

    Platform step 4

    What the current public Meta legal page supports for onsite checkout:

    Why it matters: Payout reality: Tax-form reality: Return reality:

    • Meta says Individual Sellers pay a 5% selling fee per transaction, with a minimum fee of $0.40.
    • Meta says the fee is calculated on the entire amount of the transaction, including the sale price, any shipping fees, and applicable taxes.
    • Meta says a $20 chargeback fee can be deducted if the buyer's card issuer decides in the buyer's favor.
    • Meta says seller protection is currently only available in the U.S. and is limited to items covered by Purchase Protection with a sale price of $2,000 or less.
    • The same public policy layer ties Individual Seller protection to using a Meta-generated shipping label and shipping within the published shipping or handling window.
    • That means you should not treat local pickup, off-platform payment, or self-arranged person-to-person delivery as covered by the same public protection language.
    • Current public Meta help still points to PayPal, bank-account articles, and older payout-help flows around shipping.
    • That means the exact payout rail for your account should be treated as account-specific and re-checked live before you rely on it.
    • Meta's public tax-form help says shipping sales may trigger 1099-K reporting through PayPal and that Meta may send 1099-MISC for certain reimbursements.
    • Meta's public returns help says returns and refunds for local pickup Marketplace purchases are not available from Facebook.
    • Keep that separate from any return, refund, or dispute path that applies to onsite checkout orders.

  5. Step 13: Complete the local or shipped operations branch

    Platform step 5

    For local meetup or pickup:

    Why it matters: For shipping and checkout if your account is eligible: Meta's public shipping-performance page says: Meta's public seller-policy page adds another important checkout rule:

    • keep communication on Facebook where possible
    • use safe meetup habits
    • verify the item before final payment
    • mark listings as pending, sold, or available correctly
    • ship inside the promised handling window
    • use valid tracking
    • monitor shipping performance
    • cancellation rate should stay below 10%
    • missed handling rate is monitored
    • not meeting the cancellation-rate standard may result in a temporary loss of shipping on Marketplace
    • if an Individual Seller has not fulfilled an order within 3 business days from the date of purchase, the order will be automatically canceled by Meta
Back to top Next: Local permits and Richmond branch
Local branch Local permits and Richmond branch These local and city checks can still change the answer even after the state and platform path is clear. Location-specific 2 branches

Local permits and location checks

Virginia pushes many business-permit questions down to cities and counties.

  • Virginia pushes many business-permit questions down to cities and counties.
  • For any place where the business will operate:
  • check Virginia Business One Stop,
  • contact the local government office,
  • ask local zoning or building offices if the business will operate from home or store inventory,
  • and ask whether a local business-license, BPOL, or tax account is required
  • Typical local risk areas:
  • business-license or BPOL obligations
  • home occupation restrictions
  • zoning for storage
  • truck or carrier activity at a residence
  • signage, parking, and occupancy issues

Richmond Appendix

If the business operates in Richmond, add one more review layer.

  • If the business operates in Richmond, add one more review layer.
  • Richmond's BPOL page says owners of businesses in the city are required to obtain a Richmond business license annually.
  • New businesses must obtain a license within 30 days of opening.
  • The same page says that in most cases a business license is required before the business begins conducting business in the city.
  • Richmond's Zoning Administration page routes residential home-occupation business-license requests through the Online Permit Portal for a residential Certificate of Zoning Compliance.
  • The current public zoning-fee notice shows a Home Occupation CZC fee of $50.00.
  • The public home-occupation rules say only household members may work on the premises, there may be no outside activity or outside storage, the area may not exceed 25% of the heated enclosed floor area or 500 square feet, visits including deliveries are limited, and no product may be offered for sale directly to customers on the premises.
  • Practical warning:
  • That means a home-based inventory and shipping setup in Richmond is not a footnote. If inventory, carrier pickups, or customer traffic will happen at the residence, confirm the exact local answer before launch.
  • New businesses must obtain a license within 30 days of the date of opening.
  • and do not assume Richmond rules apply unless the address is actually in Richmond
Back to top Next: Employees and insurance
Optional branch Employees and insurance Use this branch if you plan to hire or need the insurance follow-up that comes with scaling. Only if hiring or scaling 5 branches

1. Employer registration

Register with Virginia Tax for withholding if you pay wages subject to federal withholding.

  • Register with Virginia Tax for withholding if you pay wages subject to federal withholding.
  • Register with the Virginia Employment Commission to determine unemployment-tax liability.
  • VEC offers online registration and identifies T-FC-27, Report to Determine Liability, as the paper registration path.

2. Workers' compensation

Virginia law generally requires coverage when an employer regularly employs more than 2 part-time or full-time workers.

  • Virginia law generally requires coverage when an employer regularly employs more than 2 part-time or full-time workers.
  • Public VWC guidance says required coverage cannot simply be waived for ordinary employees.
  • maintain workers' compensation coverage if you regularly employ more than 2 part-time or full-time workers

3. Disability, paid leave, or similar coverage

This combo did not identify a general Virginia private-employer disability or paid-family-leave insurance mandate equivalent to a New York-style branch.

  • This combo did not identify a general Virginia private-employer disability or paid-family-leave insurance mandate equivalent to a New York-style branch.

4. Exemption certificate if applicable

This combo did not identify a general CE-200-style public exemption certificate for ordinary Virginia employers.

  • This combo did not identify a general CE-200-style public exemption certificate for ordinary Virginia employers.
  • Eligible executive officers or LLC managers can reject their own workers' compensation coverage only after valid coverage exists and the required rejection filing is made.

Insurance reality

If you are selling physical goods, commercial general liability and product-liability coverage may still be sensible even for a small operator.

  • If you are selling physical goods, commercial general liability and product-liability coverage may still be sensible even for a small operator.
  • No public universal Facebook Marketplace liability-insurance threshold was identified in the Meta pages reviewed on April 26, 2026.
  • Shipping carriers, landlords, storage providers, or local event venues may still impose their own insurance requirements.
Back to top Next: Ongoing compliance calendar
Stay compliant Ongoing compliance calendar Keep the recurring compliance checks and live-operating routine visible after launch. Everyone 4 groups

Before first sale

  • Finish entity or fictitious-name setup.
  • Resolve the Virginia tax branch that applies.
  • Check local permits and Richmond rules if applicable.
  • Confirm Marketplace access and, if relevant, shipping eligibility.

After first sale

  • Save the sale record, messages, and proof of delivery or meetup.
  • Track whether the transaction was direct or Meta checkout.
  • Update your bookkeeping immediately.

Monthly or quarterly

  • File and pay Virginia sales-tax returns if you are registered.
  • Review chargebacks, refunds, and shipping performance.
  • Keep marketplace-policy problems small and early.
  • Re-check whether any direct sales or local changes reopened the Virginia dealer-registration branch.

Annual

  • Renew the Virginia LLC annual registration fee if applicable.
  • Renew Richmond or other local business-license items if the local jurisdiction requires renewal.
  • Use the correct current ST-10 only if you are registered and eligible.
  • Re-check Richmond zoning questions if the address or operating pattern changes.
Back to top Next: Common mistakes
Avoid these Common mistakes These are the repeated beginner errors called out in the research pack. Everyone 6 mistakes

Common Mistakes

  • Treating a local pickup Facebook sale as if it were automatically a marketplace-facilitator tax sale.
  • Assuming ST-10 is safe before you actually have the registered-dealer branch in place.
  • Adding off-Facebook or direct local sales without re-running the Virginia registration analysis.
  • Assuming Marketplace shipping, business-mode, or payout tools are universally available.
  • Using your display name as a substitute for Virginia legal-name or fictitious-name compliance.
  • Storing meaningful inventory or allowing repeated pickups from a Richmond home address without clearing the CZC and home-occupation branch.

Practical first-launch recommendation

If you are casually selling a few low-risk items and want the lightest setup, sole proprietor can work.

If you intend to build a real resale business in Virginia, single-member LLC is usually the better long-term path.

Important platform note:

Public Meta help says Marketplace is available for adults with active Facebook accounts, must be used from the main profile rather than an additional profile, and is intended for consumers. The same help pages say businesses that list on Marketplace may be blocked and or have their listings removed. Treat that as real platform risk when deciding how much inventory and filing cost to commit on day one.

Back to top Next: Full official source directory
Full appendix Full official source directory Every official source row from the research pack, kept in its full table structure. Everyone 40 rows

Source group

Statewide Start

Virginia Business One Stop

State start-here page

Form / portal Business One Stop
Fee One-time portal registration fee shown publicly as $20, plus other agency fees that may apply
Timing First planning step
Who needs it Everyone

Useful for startup routing, local-license reminders, and state-agency coordination.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

State business portal

Form / portal Online registration
Fee None stated for registration
Timing Before tax registration or early planning
Who needs it Everyone

Virginia Tax says completion of registration gives you Virginia tax account numbers and Form ST-4 if you registered to collect retail sales or use tax.

Open official link

Virginia.gov

State small business support hub

Form / portal Resource hub
Fee None for the page
Timing Optional
Who needs it Founders needing routing help

Public Virginia.gov hub pointing to Business One Stop and other state business resources.

Open official link

Source group

Entity Choice and Formation

Virginia SCC

Compare business types

Form / portal New-business guidance
Fee None for the page
Timing First decision
Who needs it Everyone

SCC startup guidance covers names, registered agents, filings, and next-agency reminders.

Open official link

Virginia SCC

Formation hub

Form / portal Forms & Fees / CIS
Fee Varies
Timing Before launch
Who needs it Filing entities

Use SCC forms and the Clerk's Information System for Virginia filings.

Open official link

Virginia SCC

Default entity formation filing

Form / portal Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (LLC1011)
Fee $100
Timing At formation
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Public SCC instructions show the filing fee and required name, principal-office, and registered-agent information.

Open official link

Virginia SCC

Immediate post-filing requirement

Form / portal Operating-agreement and next-step guidance
Fee None identified
Timing Immediately after formation
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Public sources reviewed here did not identify a separate Virginia LLC publication requirement or initial report filing.

Open official link

Virginia SCC

Ongoing entity maintenance

Form / portal Annual registration fee payment
Fee $50
Timing Anniversary month, due by the last day of that month
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Re-check the live SCC page if paying near a weekend or holiday because its examples also use last business day wording.

Open official link

Source group

Sole Proprietor and Local Name Filings

Virginia Business One Stop

Sole proprietor baseline

Form / portal FAQ guidance
Fee None for the sole-proprietor baseline
Timing First setup step
Who needs it Sole proprietors

Business One Stop says sole proprietorships register the business name through a fictitious-name or DBA filing with the SCC if they are not using the owner's name.

Open official link

Virginia SCC Clerk's Office

Fictitious-name filing

Form / portal SCC59.1-70-IN or SCC59.1-70-BE
Fee $10
Timing Before using a trade name
Who needs it Sole proprietors or LLCs using a different public name

Virginia centrally files assumed or fictitious names through the SCC instead of a county-only DBA system.

Open official link

Virginia Business One Stop

Local business-license lookup

Form / portal Local finance, revenue, permit, or zoning office contact
Fee Varies
Timing Before opening at a Virginia physical location
Who needs it Businesses with a local office, home base, or inventory location

Virginia says business licenses are issued by the city or county where the business is based.

Open official link

Source group

Federal and State Tax Setup

IRS

EIN overview and online application

Form / portal EIN application
Fee Free
Timing Early in setup
Who needs it LLCs, employers, and founders wanting cleaner banking

IRS direct EIN path.

Open official link

IRS

EIN paper form

Form / portal Form SS-4
Fee Free
Timing If not applying online
Who needs it Founders using mail or fax

IRS reference page for the paper EIN application.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

Virginia marketplace-only versus direct-sales rule

Form / portal Marketplace seller guidance
Fee None for the page
Timing Before and after launch
Who needs it Marketplace-only sellers and mixed-channel sellers

Virginia Tax says a marketplace-only seller generally does not need to register to collect Virginia sales tax, but direct sales outside the marketplace reopen the registration question.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

Virginia dealer registration

Form / portal Online registration or Form R-1
Fee None stated for registration
Timing Before direct taxable sales or when a Virginia tax account is required
Who needs it Founders needing registered-dealer status

Virginia Tax says new businesses generally register online unless they fall into a paper R-1 exception.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

Retail sales-tax certificate and return baseline

Form / portal Form ST-4 and Form ST-1 context
Fee None for the page
Timing During registration and filing
Who needs it Registered dealers and other registered sellers

Public page says ST-1 replaced older sales-tax returns starting with the April 2025 filing period.

Open official link

Virginia Tax / Virginia Business One Stop

Resale or exemption certificate

Form / portal Form ST-10
Fee None for the form
Timing After registration or when otherwise valid
Who needs it Sellers buying inventory for resale

ST-10 is written for a Virginia dealer. Business One Stop says a Virginia resale certificate generally also requires registration to collect Virginia sales tax from buyers in the state.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

Recordkeeping guidance

Form / portal Recordkeeping requirements
Fee None for the page
Timing Ongoing
Who needs it Registered taxpayers and employers

Virginia Tax says businesses should keep tax records for at least 3 years from the due date or filing date, whichever is later.

Open official link

Source group

Entity Tax Maintenance

IRS

Entity tax treatment

Form / portal Guidance page
Fee None for the page
Timing During planning and annually
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

IRS explains default disregarded-entity treatment unless an election changes it.

Open official link

Virginia SCC

Recurring Virginia entity fee

Form / portal Annual registration fee
Fee $50
Timing Anniversary month
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Distinct from sales-tax, withholding, or employer obligations.

Open official link

Source group

Federal Reporting

FinCEN

BOI status

Form / portal BOI guidance
Fee None
Timing Check before filing
Who needs it Everyone forming an entity

As of April 26, 2026, domestic U.S.-created entities are exempt from BOI reporting under the March 26, 2025 interim final rule.

Open official link

Source group

Employees, Payroll, and Insurance

Virginia Employment Commission

Employer registration

Form / portal Online iFile/iReg or FC-27
Fee None stated
Timing When first becoming an employer or when liability criteria are met
Who needs it Businesses hiring employees

VEC says FC-27, Report to Determine Liability, is the paper registration path.

Open official link

Virginia Tax

Withholding registration

Form / portal Employer withholding account
Fee None stated
Timing When paying wages subject to federal withholding
Who needs it Businesses paying wages in Virginia

Virginia generally requires withholding whenever federal law requires withholding.

Open official link

Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission

Workers' compensation

Form / portal Coverage through carrier, approved self-insurance, or other authorized path
Fee Premium-based or varies
Timing Before or at hiring when threshold is met
Who needs it Employers regularly employing more than 2 workers

Public VWC guidance says required coverage cannot be waived for ordinary employees.

Open official link

Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission

Exemption certificate if applicable

Form / portal Rejection of Coverage for eligible executive officers or LLC managers
Fee None identified
Timing Only when eligible and after valid coverage exists
Who needs it Eligible executive officers or LLC managers

Not a general substitute for required coverage.

Open official link

Source group

Platform Setup

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Marketplace eligibility

Form / portal Help page
Fee None for the page
Timing Before launch
Who needs it Everyone

Public help says Marketplace is for adults with active accounts, must be used from the main profile, and businesses may be blocked.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Base listing flow

Form / portal Listing flow
Fee None for the page
Timing Before first listing
Who needs it All operators

Public help shows the basic create-listing flow.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Seller verification and tax-information trigger

Form / portal Help page
Fee None for the page
Timing If shipping verification triggers
Who needs it Shipping-eligible sellers

Public help lists acceptable identity, address, and SSN or ITIN proof for shipped checkout.

Open official link

Meta legal page

Fees, seller protection, and chargebacks

Form / portal Public policy page
Fee 5% per transaction with $0.40 minimum for individual sellers using onsite checkout
Timing Before pricing and re-check before launch
Who needs it Shipping-checkout sellers

Public policy page also states the U.S. seller-protection limit up to $2,000, the Meta-generated-label condition, and the $20 chargeback fee posture.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Tax forms and payout posture

Form / portal Help page
Fee None for the page
Timing During tax prep and payout review
Who needs it Shipping sellers

Public help says shipping sales may trigger 1099-K through PayPal and 1099-MISC for certain Meta reimbursements.

Open official link

Source group

Fulfillment, Logistics, or Store Operations

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Shipping overview

Form / portal Shipping and checkout help
Fee Varies
Timing Before using shipped checkout
Who needs it Shipping-eligible sellers

Public help says shipping and checkout are not available to all users and that the article is about individual sellers with shipping and checkout.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Local transaction posture

Form / portal Responsibility help
Fee None for the page
Timing Before local deals
Who needs it Local sellers

Public help says a sale made through an individual seller on Marketplace is between the buyer and seller.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Local payment posture

Form / portal Payment help
Fee None for the page
Timing Before local deals
Who needs it Local sellers

Public help says ordinary Marketplace buyers and sellers are generally pushed toward cash or person-to-person payment methods.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Shipping performance

Form / portal Performance page
Fee None for the page
Timing During launch and ongoing
Who needs it Shipping-eligible sellers

Public help says cancellation rate should stay below 10% and shipping is available only on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Returns

Form / portal Returns help
Fee Varies
Timing Before shipping-checkout launch
Who needs it Shipping-checkout sellers

Public help says local-pickup Marketplace purchases are not eligible for Facebook returns or refunds.

Open official link

Meta / Facebook Help Center

Restrictions and prohibited items

Form / portal Policy help
Fee None for the page
Timing During sourcing and listing
Who needs it All sellers

Public help says Marketplace listings must comply with Commerce Policies and Community Standards.

Open official link

Source group

Insurance Checkpoint

Meta legal page

Public insurance threshold or requirement

Form / portal Public policy page
Fee Premium varies
Timing Re-check before scaling
Who needs it Physical-goods sellers

No public universal liability-insurance threshold was identified in the reviewed Meta pages as of April 26, 2026.

Open official link

Source group

Richmond Branch

City of Richmond Department of Finance

City tax or permit warning

Form / portal BPOL guidance and business-license branch
Fee Varies
Timing If the business is in Richmond
Who needs it Richmond-based businesses

Public page says businesses must obtain a Richmond business license annually and new businesses must obtain a license within 30 days of opening. The same page also says most businesses need a license before they begin conducting business.

Open official link

City of Richmond Planning and Development Review

City filing information

Form / portal Certificate of Zoning Compliance through the Online Permit Portal
Fee $50 for a home-occupation CZC under the current public zoning-fee notice
Timing Before Richmond home-based operation or before license issuance when applicable
Who needs it Richmond home-based or local-premises businesses

Public zoning administration guidance says Residential CZC instructions include Home Occupation business licensing requests.

Open official link

City of Richmond Planning and Development Review

City forms and home-occupation rules

Form / portal Home-occupation rules, residential CZC instructions, and fee notice
Fee Varies by filing
Timing If a home-occupation or address-specific zoning question applies
Who needs it Richmond-based businesses

Richmond's public home-occupation materials say only household members may work on the premises, no outside storage is allowed, no direct sales may be offered on the premises, and visits including deliveries are limited.

Open official link
Back to top